Toys and Apps Are Yet to Play Nice Together

Efforts to Link Tablets to Dolls and Board Games Falls Short So Far, but Industry Continues to Try

By

Ann Zimmerman And

John Kell

Feb. 7, 2013 8:12 p.m. ET

Last year, trying to show how the toy industry could remain relevant in the tablet age, Hasbro Inc. unveiled an iPad-enhanced version of its classic Game of Life. Instead of spinning a wheel in the center of the board game to take a turn, players spun a wheel on the iPad.

The idea bombed.

And it wasn't alone. More than 90% of the so-called app toys that were trotted out last year sold poorly, estimates Jim Silver, editor in...